Tag: policy

A common voice is needed to make the most of the evidence, says Global Food Security programme Champion Tim Benton.

Across the world there are a very large number of food experts and commentators, each a vocal advocate of their own analyses, disciplinary backgrounds and framing assumptions.

But whilst they are all well-meaning, there is very little agreement about either what should be done or how it should be done. Different communities of academics – developed vs developing world, agriculture vs nutrition, ‘sustainable’ vs industrial – major on different analyses and different sets of actions. Continue reading Do we need an IPCC-like international body for food?

How can we nudge people to eat more healthily and sustainably? University of Cambridge’s Arianna Psichas reports from the Global Food Security programme’s Policy Lab on sustainable nutrition.

As the child of someone who has spent their career working in environmental policy, I have grown up with an acute understanding of the many challenges our planet faces, particularly with regard to climate change. Now, as a nutritional scientist I am passionate about public health, and I know that a shift towards more sustainable food options can very often also be healthier. Continue reading Choosing food: consumption and the carbon footprint

It is strange how many good ideas, when they are first advanced, are ridiculed and dismissed by the establishment but somehow eventually gain respectability and enter mainstream thinking. Continue reading Going against the grain

We need to be better prepared for shocks, says Rajul Pandya-Lorch of the International Food Policy Research Institute.

Poor countries and vulnerable people are being hit hard by a barrage of shocks: economic shocks such as volatile food prices and financial crises; environmental and natural disasters like droughts, floods, and earthquakes; and social and political upheavals including conflicts and violence. Climate change, competition for resources, and growing inequality and social exclusion are likely to intensify the risks for food and nutrition security. Continue reading Bouncing back: building resilience for food and nutrition security

GFS Champion Tim Benton looks to the New Year and considers food waste on national and personal levels (including his own recipes).

I enjoy cooking, so do the kitchen duty when I am at home. And, of course, Christmas is the most intensive cooking festival. I just totted up that I prepared 141 meals, spread over 32 mealtimes. No wonder coming back to work seems restful!

As food waste is such an issue, we worked hard to minimise waste over the period through a concerted effort of planning, inventorying and negotiation over how to eat left overs. As a result, we threw away very little that was avoidable, perhaps though at the expense of over-consumption! Continue reading Waste not, want not

The way individuals and institutions react to environmental and other stresses affects food security at local, national and international levels. This was seen in the food price-spikes in 2007/08 where a combination of droughts affecting food production in some countries, food export restrictions in others, and speculation on world markets exacerbated hunger in many counties for extended periods around the world. Continue reading Embracing the complexity of food security